Preschool Curriculum Module

Curriculum is a written document that serves as a Road Map for implementing a quality child development and education program Early Childhood Learning & Knowledge Center 2000

What makes curriculum a curriculum?

At its simplest, curriculum is defined as what to teach and how to teach it.

From Preschool Curriculum Decision-Making: Dimensions to Consider

Curriculum Topics

WhyWho

WhatWhenHow

Why

States are now required to develop standards for pre-K programs.

These standards are increasingly being used to guide curriculum selection and planning

Because high quality early learning experiences are so important, they cannot be left to chance.

There is a growing consensus supported by many scholarly reports, that we must be more purposeful in our work with young children.

From Child Care Information Exchange

Why

A curriculum helps to ensure that nothing related to children’s development and learning is overlooked

Curriculum plays a vital role in enhancing the social competence and school readiness of children

The learning environment is arranged to accommodate a variety of children’s strengths, and needs and to stimulate learning across all domains of development

From Head Starts Education Association, Plan for Action

Why Given the multitude of available curriculum models,

the confusion regarding which ones are appropriate for young children overall is understandable

The early childhood education field recommends programs that are known to be using Developmentally Appropriate Practices

If the goal is to improve children’s school success by enhancing their early skills and knowledge, programs need to examine the content of what children should learn as well as how they will learn best

From Preschool Curriculum Decision-Making: Dimensions to Consider Pg 2

Who No matter what a teacher’s background, he

or she cannot implement a curriculum well without initial training and ongoing professional development.

To be effective, such training should be provided by individuals who are familiar not only with adult learning principles, but also with the realities of teachers’ classrooms.

Decision-makers will therefor want to look for a comprehensive professional development plan and examine the research on its effectiveness.

From Preschool Curriculum Decision-Making: Dimensions to Consider

WhoThe roles of the teacher and child in the learning process and areas of learning should be considered in making a decision on which curriculum to useFrom Preschool Curriculum Decision-Making: Dimensions to Consider

What “Curriculum is more than a collection of enjoyable

activities. Curriculum is a complex idea containing multiple components, such as goals, content, pedagogy, or instructional practices. Curriculum is influenced by many factors, including society’s values, content standards, accountability systems, research findings, community expectations, culture and language, and individual children’s characteristics.”

From the advisement of National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and National Association of Early Childhood Specialists in State Departments of Education (NAECS/SDE) 2003

What: Developmental Principles that guide the ways in which we work with children are universal

Applying to all children regardless of gender, race, culture, or country of origin.

1. Patterns of growth and development are orderly and sequential

2. Human growth and development proceeds from simple to complex

3. Learning is influenced by the child’s social and cultural context

From Head Start Education Association: Plan for Action

When Effective, developmentally appropriate

curriculum is based on what is known about the interrelationships and sequences of ideas, so that children’s later abilities and understandings can be built on those already acquired.

At the same time, the rate and pattern of each child’s learning is unique.

All the domains of children’s development and learning interrelate.

Best Practice is based on knowledge-not assumptions.

From NAEYC Developmentally Appropriate in Early Childhood Programs (2009)

HowChecklist for Preschool Curriculum Decision-Makers1. How does the curriculum define the roles of teacher

and the child in the learning process?2. What domains of learning are addressed? Are they

integrated or treated separately? Will the curriculum lead to achievement of state early learning standards?

3. Does the curriculum provide guidance for differentiating teaching for students with special behavior, linguistic or learning needs?

4. Do the curriculum’s developers provide an assessment system that is consistent with the teaching philosophy and learning content

5. What research evidence exists to support the value or effectiveness of the curriculum?

Checklist Continued6. Is the curriculum appropriate for all teachers,

regardless of their qualifications? What kind of professional development is provided?

7. Are specific materials required to implement the curriculum?

8. Does the curriculum model provide guidance for such services as parent involvement and the transition to kindergarten?

From Preschool Curriculum Decision-Making: Dimensions to Consider Pg4

9. Are resources available to support staff in implementing the curriculum (e.g., trainer’s guides, videos, parent resources)?

From Childcare Information Exchange

10. Is any information provided on the research obtained in the development of the curriculum itself?

From Review Rubric

Assessment of Curriculum

•The information generated may not inform how well the curriculum is “working” for any particular child, or how a teacher’s practice might be modified as result. When making curriculum decisions, preschool program stakeholders also need to determine if their curriculum choice includes assessment systems that have been specifically designed both to measure whether learning objectives are being reached and to inform teaching.•Assessments should document changes in individual children over time•Teachers who use validated curriculum models benefit from the evidence of its effectiveness and the accumulated wisdom and experience of othersFrom Preschool Curriculum Decision-Making: Dimensions to Consider

How To implement a curriculum you need1. Have a working knowledge about child

development principles2. Understand curriculum as defined by

your Program Performance Standards3. The curriculum is taught in a beginning

to end sequential mannerFrom Head Start Action Plan

4. Ability of the Decision-makers to do careful research of each curriculum and fit them into your goal areas

From Preschool Curriculum Decision-Making: Dimensions to Consider

Overall

“The term “Curriculum” might not come to mind when you hear children making joyful sounds or talking about the good food they shared with their friends, the bus ride, the variety of books, the water table, building with blocks, songs, or even hugs-but that’s what is all about for the child.” From Heads Start Plan for Action

References